General Conditions

There’s been some rain, but no snow, at Donner Summit in the past week.  In fact, there’s been no snow in the past month.  The Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) continues to report 22 inches of snow this season compared to a median 72 inches over years 1991-2020.  Webcams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home) and Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/) provide up-to-the-minute views of current conditions.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (December 18) sunrise was at 7:16 AM; sunset will be at 4:40 PM.  Sunrise drifted later by 5 minutes compared to a week ago.  Sunset is slowly drifting later — about 2 minutes later than a week ago.   The days continue to get shorter but only because sunrise is changing faster than sunset.  At the winter solstice (Sunday, December 21) the two rates match; we’ll have the shortest day of the year, and then the days will start getting longer.

Star Gazing: The Moon will be new tomorrow (December 19), so evening star gazing is optimum.   Cassiopeia is a W-shaped constellation nearly overhead but toward the northwest in the early evening.  Look for Orion, to the southeast around 10 PM.  If you want to see planets,  Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky and about 45° above the eastern horizon at 10 PM.  It will be at opposition (closest and brightest) in early January.

Forecast

Weather across Northern California is starting to change.  At Donner Summit, expect partly cloudy today with a high temperature in the mid 40s.  Tomorrow we’ll see rain changing to snow, and that will continue for the next week with a probability over 90% through Monday, then dropping to about 75% into midweek.  Depending on temperature, there could be as much as a foot of snow each day.  But with daytime highs in the upper 30s, there is likely to be rain mixed with the snow; so the accumulation each day will be less.  Expect a break in precipitation over the following weekend (December 27-28) but with rain/snow showers resuming through the end of December.

Summit Calendar

December 18 (Thursday) 4:30-6 PM: The. Donner Summit Association holiday party at Nancy O’s Gallery and Glass (21547 Donner Pass Road, Soda Springs).  There will be a short business meeting followed by finger food and beverages.  Hang out with DSA Board members and discuss changes (past and future) on the Summit.  No charge.  Find an agenda and directions at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/.

December 19 (Friday): Refreshed dining at Sugar Bowl’s Village Lodge opens after extensive remodeling.  There are three venues — the Terrace, Belt Room, and Yarrow.  More info at https://www.sugarbowl.com/dining.  Santa flips the switch to light the Village Christmas tree on  December 24 (4-5 PM).

January 21 (Wednesday) 6 PM: The fourth of four avalanche awareness sessions sponsored by Tahoe Mountain Sports will be at Alibi Truckee.  This one is on “Partnering Up”.  For more information, go to https://tahoemountainsports.com/blogs/events

Resorts

Resorts at Donner Summit are waiting for more snow; but there are some openings.

Boreal (outdoors) has its Castle Peak chair open 9 AM – 8 PM, but options for getting down are limited (watch for unmarked obstacles). Tahoe Tubing is open. Woodward (indoors) is open Monday-Friday noon-8 PM and weekends 10 AM – 8 PM. Check https://www.rideboreal.com for details.

Sugar Bowl has closed; expect reopening after new snowfall  Check  https://www.sugarbowl.com for details.

Soda Springs Mountain Resort has Planet Kids open Thursday-Sunday.  For more information, visit https://www.skisodasprings.com/

Donner Ski Ranch’s Old 40 Bar and Grill is open daily 8 AM – 9 PM. Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com for more information.

Auburn Ski Club is closed for the season. Check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

Royal Gorge needs more snow.  Watch https://www.royalgorge.com/home for the latest information.

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) is closed for the season.

Other Activities

If you’re looking for things to do in the foothills and mountains, Nevada County has some suggestions.  These are spread more broadly but some specifically include the Summit area.  Some link to other parts of this web site.

https://gonevadacounty.com/ways-to-beat-heat-that-arent-swimming/ (like ice cream)

Roads

I-80: Watch for snow and ice on the highway, especially once rain and snow move in tomorrow.  Be alert to ongoing construction and lane closures — especially Monday-Friday.  There are at least three possible choke points eastbound — Crystal Springs to Drum Forebay, at the I-80/CA20 split, and between Rainbow Road and Soda Springs.  You can avoid the third by exiting at Cisco Grove and driving at a more leisurely pace on Hampshire Rocks Road, which parallels the freeway on the north side.   Continue across I-80 on Donner Pass Road, then go all the way to Donner Lake and Truckee.  Note that several ramps between Gold Run and Donner Summit are closed while being reconstructed.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be open; but be prepared for repair work and occasional delays.    Off-highway vehicle routes (unpaved) are mostly open, but watch for pot holes, rocks, ruts, and slippery spots.  These roads will become increasingly problematical as the latest weather system moves in.  Forest Road 85 north from Cisco Grove is closed (for several years) while the Lake Fordyce Dam Seepage Mitigation Project is completed.